A1 · Beginner Chapter 8

Definite Decisions

2 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of Danish specificity by attaching articles directly to your nouns.

  • Identify the difference between indefinite and definite nouns.
  • Attach -en or -n to 'en' nouns to make them specific.
  • Attach -et or -t to 'et' nouns to mark them as definite.
Stop saying 'the' and start attaching it!

What You'll Learn

How to make nouns definite using suffixes instead of separate articles. Learn the difference between 'en hund' and 'hunden'.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: correctly transform any noun from its indefinite form to its definite form in a sentence.

Tips & Tricks (2)

💡

Check the gender

Always learn the noun with its article (en/et). It saves time later.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'en' Nouns
💡

Gender is Key

Always learn the gender (en/et) when you learn a new noun. It makes the definite form automatic.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'et' Nouns

Key Vocabulary (5)

hund dog hus house bord table bil car avis newspaper

Real-World Preview

dog

At the park

Review Summary

  • Noun + en
  • Noun + et

Common Mistakes

Danish doesn't use a separate article like 'the'. The suffix does all the work.

Wrong: Den hund
Correct: Hunden

Don't use both the indefinite article and the suffix. It's one or the other!

Wrong: Et huset
Correct: Huset

Ensure you match the suffix to the original gender of the noun.

Wrong: Bilet
Correct: Bilen

Next Steps

You've conquered definite nouns! Keep up this momentum and your Danish will be flawless in no time.

Label items in your room using sticky notes with the definite form.

Continue to: The Power of 'Ikke'

Quick Practice (8)

Make the noun definite.

et hus -> ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: huset
Neuter nouns take -et.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'et' Nouns

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Den hund er sød.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hunden er sød.
No separate 'den' for definite.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'en' Nouns

Which is correct?

___ er meget lang.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Rapporten
Needs definite form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'en' Nouns

Complete the sentence.

___ (Situation) kræver handling.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Situationen
Specific reference.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'en' Nouns

Select the correct form.

___ er rødt.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Æblet
The definite suffix is required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'et' Nouns

Find the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Det huset er flot.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Det
Remove 'Det' when no adjective is present.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'et' Nouns

Choose the correct definite form.

Pige -> ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: pigen
Only add -n to words ending in -e.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'en' Nouns

Make the noun definite.

Hund -> ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: hunden
Add -en to consonant-ending en-nouns.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Definite Suffix for 'en' Nouns

Score: /8

Common Questions (4)

Danish uses a suffix instead of a separate word for 'the'.
You only add 'n', e.g., 'pigen'.
If the word already ends in an 'e', we just add 't' to avoid a double 'e'.
Only if there is an adjective before the noun. Otherwise, just use the suffix.
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